Luanda GP 2026 to Host First-Ever Angolan Round in Prestigious Electric Powerboat Series

Luanda: Twenty drivers from 10 teams competing in the fifth round of the E1 World Electric Powerboat Championship will begin arriving in Angola next Tuesday, with the event scheduled for 12 and 13 September, Secretary of State for Tourism Augusto Kalikemala said in Luanda today. According to Angola Press News Agency, the information was disclosed during the presentation of the programme of activities for World Tourism Day, to be marked on 27 September and organised by the Ministry of Tourism. Known as the E1 Luanda Grand Prix 2026, the event will take place in Luanda Bay, with the Luanda Yacht Club serving as the centre of activities. It will mark the championship's first appearance on Angolan territory. Angola will be represented by Westbrook Racing by Visit Angola, a team associated with US actor Will Smith, whose drivers will be American Sara Price and Spaniard Lucas Ordóñez. Qualifying is scheduled for Saturday, 12 September, while the main race will take place on Sunday, 13 September. The Luanda round will feature 20 drivers across 10 teams, competing in mixed pairs comprising one male and one female driver. In addition to Westbrook Racing by Visit Angola, the participating teams include Aoki Racing Team, with Sara Misir (United States) and Dani Clos (Spain), and Sierra Racing Club, represented by Catie Munnings (United Kingdom) and Erik Stark (Sweden). Also competing are Rianna O'Meara-Hunt (Ireland) and Timmy Hansen (Sweden) for Sports.com Predict Team Miami Powered by Magnus; Nerea Martí (Spain) and Rusty Wyatt (New Zealand) for Team AlUla, championed by LeBron James; and Mashael AlObaidan (Saudi Arabia) and John Peeters (Belgium) for Team Blue Rising. The line-up is completed by Emma Kimiläinen (Finland) and Sam Coleman (United Kingdom) of Team Brady; Tara Pacheco (Spain) and Micah Wilkinson (New Zealand) of Team Drogba Global África; Oban Duncan (United Kingdom) and Maxime Nocher (France) of Team Mónaco; and Cris Lazarraga (Spain) and Tom Chiappe (France) of Team Rafa. The competition, regarded as one of the world's leading electric powerboat racing championships, uses boats powered exclusively by electric energy and is sanctioned by the Union Internationale Motonautique (UIM). In the 2026 season, the Angolan round will be the fifth, following races held in Jeddah (Saudi Arabia), Lake Como (Italy), Dubrovnik (Croatia) and Monaco. After Luanda, the championship will continue in Lagos, Nigeria, on 3 and 4 October, followed by rounds in Miami, United States, on 13 and 14 November, and the Bahamas on 21 and 22 November. The Ministry of Tourism, which is responsible for organising the Angolan round, plans to officially present the participating drivers at a press conference on 10 September. The teams are expected to familiarise themselves with the circuit on Friday, ahead of the races. Tickets for the competition will go on sale online from Thursday, with prices ranging from AOA 30,000 to AOA 80,000, according to the organisers.